Expanding Your College List

Community college is a great start for many students—the important thing is setting a goal early on for what you want to accomplish there.

If you’re planning to get a certificate or an associate’s degree, talking to an adviser at the community college you’re interested in can be a good way to figure out what classes you’ll need and how long it’ll take to complete them all.

If you’re planning to transfer to a 4-year school, then making a plan is even more important. Check out the Michigan Transfer Network for tips on planning a successful transfer to the school you’re aiming for.

The Common App tries to make applying to schools easier by combining multiple applications into one. This means if you’re applying to a few schools that use the Common App, you’ll only have to fill out personal information about your family, education, and extracurricular activities one time instead of once per school.

While you won’t be applying just yet, take the time to see if the schools on your college list use the Common App. If they do, create an account, add your college list, and start filling out your profile. This will carry over to your senior year, so get ahead while you can!

After that, make sure to check out the seven Common App essay prompts, since you’ll need to write an essay answering at least one of these for the Writing section of the application. Look up the schools on your list to see if they have any additional essays or short-answer questions, too. You want to make sure you’ve got enough time to think about and work on your essays over the summer.

If you’re undocumented or have DACA, college is still an option! That said, applying might look a little different for you than other students.

A great place to start is the recently updated Undocumented Student Guide To College In Michigan, available here in English and here in Spanish. In it, you can find step-by-step tips on how to apply to college, navigating financial aid, and which colleges and universities have specific resources or scholarships for undocumented and DACA students.

Because changes to laws can happen year-to-year and from state-to-state, consider reaching out to counselor or adviser to find resources to help you at the schools on your list, especially if you want to apply out-of-state.

While you might have heard of larger schools like Spelman College, Howard University, Morehouse College, Florida A&M University, or Clark Atlanta University, there are over 100 total Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the U.S.

Though there are none in Michigan, you can check out the full list of them here, including nearby options like Central State University and Wilberforce University in Ohio. While you look through them, keep your deal breakers in mind to make sure you find options that are a good fit for you, whether that’s the majors they offer, the fraternities and sororities on campus, or the weather south of Michigan.

If you’re serious about applying to HBCUs, you might consider checking out the Common Black Application. Similar to the Common App, it allows you to submit applications to over 50 HBCUs at the same time (for a small fee).

You might also want to see if any of the HBCUs you’re interested in partner with UNCF. UNCF offers scholarships for students attending 37 of the HBCUs, which means more money to cover out-of-state tuition fees!

While there’s usually many opportunities to join an informal or intramural sports team in college, you’re probably interested in a varsity team.

If this is the case, here’s a few things you need to do today:

• Talk to your coach: How does recruitment work at your school? When will recruiters be coming? Make sure to ask now rather than next season.

• Keep recruitment info organized: If recruiters are reaching out already, make sure to keep all your information organized. Letters and emails are easy to lose, so keep them in one place if you can.

• Register for NCAA or NAIA Eligibility: Depending on what sport you’re playing, you will probably have to register for the NCAA or NAIA Eligibility Center. If you need a waiver, ask your counselor! Speaking of them...

• Talk to your counselor: Both the NCAA and NAIA have certain academic standards that have to be met for you to play for any school. Talk to your counselor to see if your GPA and classes match up with what you need—if not, this is the perfect time to plan your senior year schedule.

Talk to your college adviser: Both the NCAA and NAIA take test scores into account. Ask counselor or adviser for an SAT retake if you haven’t already. A higher score means your chances of playing are even better.

While doing hair or makeup doesn’t require taking professional classes, if you want to work in a salon or barbershop, or own your own business, you will likely need to earn a license.

Each state has their own requirements for this. In most cases, you will first need to have a certain amount of hours learning about and performing the skills for your trade, like cutting hair, doing nails, treating skin, etc. After that, you will have to pass an exam before you’re able to receive your license.

These programs are often shorter than a traditional college degree, but they might be more expensive, too. Sometimes, classes are costly; other times, you might need to move to be closer to the program of your choice. Make sure to complete all financial aid applications and search for scholarships like those offered by Beauty Changes Lives to make sure you can pay for your education.

Whether you’re interested in drawing, fashion, video game design, or anything else under the “arts” umbrella, applying to art colleges tends to be somewhat unique.

In addition to the normal application materials like an essay and transcripts, many art schools require a portfolio—a collection of 8-10 pieces of your own artwork to show an admissions representative your skill and your potential.

If that sounds like a lot, start by checking out the National Portfolio Day website for a list of schools that offer the programs you’re interested in. After you’ve built your list, reach out to each school’s admissions office to see what they require in your portfolio.

In some cases, an admissions representative may be willing to look over your work and give suggestions. If not, you can always start preparing for National Portfolio Day in the fall, when many schools commit to looking over student portfolios.

Many students don’t think of trade or vocational school as “college,” but that doesn’t mean it isn’t! In fact, a lot of trades are actually taught at community colleges, like construction and HVAC-R, or dental and nursing assistant skills.

The Roadmap to Opportunity site walks through a lot of popular jobs in the state of Michigan, including what certifications they require and what salary they can earn. Check out their offerings to see if there’s a community college nearby with what you want to study.

As you might expect, preparing to apply for a performing arts college—things like musical theater, dance, violin performance, and beyond—is different from a normal application.

In addition to normal application materials like an essay and transcripts, performing arts schools rely on auditions. Similar to what you might experience in a school club, band, or student organization, these offer a chance for you to show an admissions office your skill and potential. There might even be multiple rounds of auditions, including a recorded one (at first) or traveling to a different city to perform live (later).

Certain applications might also include things like your performance history, your headshot, or a portfolio of specific recorded performances. These things take time to put together, so make sure you figure out now what each school you’re interested in is looking for.

If you feel like college really isn’t for you, that’s fine. But you should still make a list!

The middle of your junior year means there’s plenty of time to change your mind. And even if you’re dead-set on not going to college, there’s still no better way to be sure than to research the schools you might go apply to before making your final decision.

Even if a 4-year university isn’t the right fit for you, maybe it’s becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant. Or a hairdresser. Or one of the number of other jobs in Michigan that can earn you even more money with a few semesters of community college classes.